5 Herbs for Kitchen Gardens
By Gourmet Jay, April 18, 2015. Originally published on Fix.com

Herbs are ready for harvest when the flower first buds, and continue to be viable until just before the flowers are fully open. This is the time when the leaves contain the highest level of volatile oils, which translates into lots of flavor. You’ll want to ensure that you don’t cut too much from the plant. This way the plant will continually produce over a longer period of time, and you’ll have fresh herbs when you need them. Snip only a few leaves or sprigs from each plant – the more you leave on the plant the faster it will recover, allowing for higher yields. When the plant is harvested, it can leave areas of the crop exposed, and the hot mid-day sun can dry out the plants oils. If at all possible, try to take sprigs in the morning, or later in the day, to mitigate this issue. Using scissors or a sharp knife, cut the sprigs from at least four to six inches from the base of the plant.

In this article, we will discuss thyme, chives, mint, sage and basil. These herbs are easy to grow in small garden spaces or containers – indoors or out.

1. Thyme

Health benefits: anti microbial; linked to reducing high blood pressure (hypertension), acne, yeast infections, colon & breast cancers.

Thyme is semi-evergreen in many gardening zones and creates a beautiful ground cover. It’s perfect for tucking into a cottage garden space under and around larger herbs. You can sprinkle seeds in early spring or fall outdoors, or plant starts in the spring.

Thyme has a great flavor and beautiful, fine-cut foliage. You can cut stems off as needed. In the kitchen, thyme is super-flexible. Lemon thyme has a citrusy zest and is great with fish and other meats. Regular thyme has a wide variety of uses in tea, jelly, stews, stuffing, meatloaf and vegetable dishes like stuffed veggies or salads.

2. Chives

Health benefits: contains allicin, which has anti-inflammatory properties; linked to improving cholesterol, diestion and fighting infections.

Another great herb is chives. You can harvest chives as needed throughout the entire growing season. They are easy to grow because you can either start the plants from seed or get clumps of divided plants from fellow gardeners. They aren’t fussy in the garden as long as they don’t get too hot.

Use chives in the kitchen to add a mild onion flavor to any dish. It’s great in stir-fry, with cream cheese, mixed into butter and on top of soups or baked potatoes. A little-known secret about chives is that the beautiful purple flowers are also edible – pick and crush a few to accent a creamy potato soup or sprinkle over a salad.

3. Mint

Health benefits: contains menthol, traditionally used for digestive problems; linked to improving Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

No herb garden conversation is complete without a mention of delicious and easy-to-grow mint. Mint is so easy to grow, in fact, that it will often spread through the semi-shade areas of the garden. If you want it to stay in one place, I recommend growing mint in containers.

Add mint to desserts, liqueurs, homemade teas and as flavoring in jelly.

4. Sage

Health benefits: high in antioxidants with anti-inflammatory properties; may contribute to helping memory and treating Alzheimer's Disease.

Sage is another great herb that belongs in every herb garden. Sage is a drought-tolerant plant, which makes it good for growing in containers or raised beds. Because it is a perennial, it will often survive for a couple years in the home garden. Sage is available in colored and variegated forms, making it an eye-catching accent in the garden, and the textured leaves are always attractive.

Sage has a very earthy, rich flavor, especially when gathered fresh from the garden. It’s a must-have for homemade stuffing, chicken dishes and vinegar infusions. If you harvest more than a fourth of the fresh leaves from the plant at any given time you risk killing the plant, so harvest just a few branches at a time and let the rest continue to grow.

5. Basil

Health benefits: used for treating arthritis and inflammatory bowel diseases; antioxidant rich; may have anti-aging properties by killing harmful molecules in the body.

Basil comes in many varieties for a mixture of looks in the garden. You can find basils with dark purple leaves, large green leaves, and small, fine-cut leaves that make them valuable additions to the landscape. If you don’t always pinch off the blooms, you’ll have pretty flowers also, although pinching them off will make the flavor in the leaves stronger.

Basil is an amazing herb to use – especially when you can get it fresh from the garden. A favorite classic basil dish is homemade pesto. It’s a must in almost every Italian dish and adds a really fresh flavor to salads, tomatoes, omelets, stir-fry dishes and more.

In summary, these must-grow herbs are beautiful in the kitchen or garden, whether in or outdoors, potted or in the ground. They will add color, fragrance, texture, life to any landscape and a wide range of flavor to the dishes you love to make.